Friday, March 14, 2008

Aunt Vi's "Zucchini Bake" is always a hit! Every time I make it, I end up giving the recipe to people. Most people don't know what it is exactly. Some think it's a frittata. Others say it's a quiche. I'd say it's somewhere in between. Nonetheless it makes a delicious addition to any main course meal, or even an 'anytime' snack. It can be enjoyed heated up, at room temperature, or even cold right out of the fridge. And I recently tried it with a can of kernel corn and it added a whole new dimension to the dish. I guess you could say it's really versatile. Here's the recipe:

Here's my recipe for a delicious Italian tomato sauce, passed on to me by my friend Mark. It’s a simple, basic recipe that goes with any sort of pasta. I’ve altered it a bit to my own tastes and you can, as well. (Of course the wine is a very subjective thing, but to me it gives the sauce some great added flavor!)

- Heat about 1 inch of oil in a large pasta pot- Add 1 or 2 bay leaves- Add the onion- After about five minutes, add the garlic- Cook onions over low heat until almost translucent (between 7 and 12 minutes)- Add a couple of glugs of red wine and a some of the basil- Allow the red wine to reduce (several minutes)- Add the crushed tomatoes, parsley and more basil- Let simmer for twenty minutes or so- Toss over pasta and enjoy!

Notes:

- The fresh herbs can be replaced with the dried kind. Just use less of it.

- For a traditional Italian meat sauce, cook any choice of beef, pork or sausage you like before following the recipe. Brown the meat on all sides, but don’t cook all the way through. Use the same pot you will prepare the sauce in later. Remove the browned meat from the pan, and start the sauce recipe. Once the sauce has started to simmer, add the meat back into it so it can finish cooking through.

- If you like your sauce a little thicker, add I small can of tomato paste to the mixture.